


'Good Vibrations'

by lady_meatball



Series: Thanksgiving in Boston [4]
Category: American Actor RPF, Chris Evans (Actor) RPF
Genre: Domestic!Evans, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Gen, K C & the Sunshine Band, K&C, romantic smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-16
Updated: 2016-11-16
Packaged: 2018-08-31 10:58:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8575684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lady_meatball/pseuds/lady_meatball
Summary: Chris and Katie share some much needed laughs while ‘shopping’ before picking up Scott from the airport; a trip to Walmart before heading home has Katie picking up stuff to bake, while Chris faces the beginnings of his coping. They come together to take the next step in moving on.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings- Porn Shop setting, talk of sexual situations acts and toys, discussions of guilt, emotions, coping with miscarriage (his/hers), Smut (making out, groping, fingering, oral sex and penetration of the love making variety)

  *                                                                

_**Visual Inspo board[here](https://lady-meatball.tumblr.com/post/153103516700/via-good-vibrations-polyvore-the-inspo)**_

  
                                                                                                        

                                                                                        [ Originally posted by borninthewrongdecadeblog](https://tmblr.co/ZJDvrj1uI9o0O)

“So what are you wanting in a toy?” I heard Chad ask Chris on the other side of the tall display. “You want realistic, with skin-like texture and molded replica of a certain actress? Do you want it simple, no frills, or do you want something that vibrates and has sucking action? You just want pussy or do you want dual holes?”

Biting my lips, I fought back a snort of laughter as I squatted in front the wide array of novelty gifts and games that lined the shelves and brackets before me. Apparently, I hadn’t succeeded in that endeavor, because Chris spoke aloud, directed to me.

“Hey Chuckles, I can hear you losing your shit over there…”

Unable to hold my giggles in, I snickered.

“Dual holes…bells and whistles, only the best for him, Chad!” I called, reaching for a box that contained a sexy couples game of truth or dare cards to investigate.

“The lady has spoken!” Chad laughed, turning to focus on the portion of toys that fit the criteria I had just given, pointing out a selection to Chris as he said, “Is there a certain one catching your eye out of these?”

“Hey! You stay out if this, Missy!” Chris laughed; I could see their feet through the wire display that separated us, and Chris’ boots stood planted, partially facing my direction, the front of his right foot tapping. “Honestly, this was HER idea, man…I really couldn’t care less, it’s a toy, and that’s all it’s ever going to be ‘cause it’s not ‘hers’.”

“Babe!-” I ‘awwed’, truly blushing at his admission, but rolling my eyes at the dense way he was refusing to get into this, still so worried he’d be caught and our cover would be blown. “-I’m flattered, but Chad is trying to tell you in subtle terms, ‘look at the display models and pick out the one that most resembles’ my vagina, for fuck’s sake, _THAT’S_ the reason I wanted you to come in here! Sure, I’m familiar with it, but _YOU_ like taking up residency there, and I’m fairly sure you could pick me from a lineup…you know what I look like, me not so much…”

“I feel like some sick and twisted Goldilocks right now…” Chris sighed, moving forward to take a closer look at his selection. I shook my head, laughing with silent giggles while I put the boxed game back on the shelf, standing and migrating away to let him make his choice without my presence, but hearing him go on, I couldn’t help but bust up when I caught him saying, “They just aren’t right! This one has too much lips, that one doesn’t have any, and _THAT_ one looks like it’s gonna up and fly away with those flaps!”

“Well…we just got a shipment of ‘Clone-A-Pussy’ kits in…you can always get the kit and cast her…” Chad said as I began walking away.

“Babe!” Chris shouted, calling to me as I stopped at the end of the aisle, poking my head around to glare down at where he and Chad stood planted. “Did you hear that? I can have one with your…” He grinned, excited and looking like an adorable, gigantic puppy as he pointed at Chad who looked like he wanted to die.

“ _Christopher_!-” I hissed, eyes round as saucers, adding rather indignantly with a finger pointed directly at him, “-No! I am _NOT_ cloning my pussy for your Fleshlight, not when I’m staying in your mother’s house with your sister and her kids on the other side of the hall and we have to share a bathroom! You want your own portable version of me, fine! Buy the kit and I’ll make you one for Christmas, but you’re picking out a toy this afternoon, so help me Baby Jesus…” With that, I rolled my eyes and turned around in a huff.

Twenty minutes later, I was perusing the wide, and varying selection of vibrators and dildos when I felt Chris approach. I was stopped in front of the realistic ‘celebrity line’, two beasts directly in front of my face on the wall.

“I’m so glad you aren’t rocking something like _THAT_ …” I muttered without at him, pointing at the gigantic silicone dong attached to a massive suction cup, the circumference making the piece look more like an arm than a dick in the plastic clam shell case; he barked out a surprised laugh, hanging his head while he got himself under control. “That thing scares me…-” I confessed, turning my face to add in a terrified and embarrassed stage whisper, “-ya know what’s really fucked up? I know a couple of women that drool over knowing they have one of those waiting at home for them in their shower…and they can’t cum with anything else.”

“Are you fahking shitting me?” Chris asked, a look of astonished shock on his face as he looked from me to the item in question and back.

“Personally? That thing does the exact opposite for me…makes my lady parts shrivel up and want to cry in a dark corner in the fetal position.” I said through a shiver at the thought; turning away from the display, I took a step, moving further down the wall to look at the vibrators, wanting to see what this store offered. Chris followed in my wake, eyeing the different varieties, colors, shapes and functions.

I stopped when I heard Chris exclaim “It’s B.O.B.!”; facing him, I chuckled at the sight of him pointing at the model on display, the same one he heard me talk about on Anna’s podcast the night we met. He had become familiar with B.O.B. that next week when he decided to pick up and drive in from L.A. after the craziness and drama boiled over and exploded with the tabloids and gossip sites like Perez Hilton having put Chris and I on blast; he had been pleasantly surprised at the selection of naughty toys and items in my collection, becoming particularly fond of the bullet vibes, waterproof and not, the handcuffs and restraints and had taken matters into his own hands one night, teasing and working me up over and over again with my Battery Operated Boyfriend, or King B.O.B. as I liked to refer to him, until I begged him to fuck me.

“Yup, it’s King B.O.B…good ol’ trusty B.O.B.” I laughed, but Chris’ face couldn’t hide his frown so I reassured him, stepping into his side, hugging his waist as I added, “Hey, Grumpy Gills! Don’t make that face! Since you came roaring into my life, King B.O.B. only makes appearances in my bedroom on those long stretches we’re apart, and I promise, I’m imagining it’s you…”

He rumbled with a low grumble, muttering “ _My pussy…not B.O.B.’s_ ”, his arm tightening around my neck, holding me close to kiss my temple; leaning back I shook with giggles.

“Are you jealous? Of my vibe?” I asked incredulously; he only narrowed his eyes, his mouth pressed into a thin line before showing his dislike of my toy with a curled lip and sneer. “You _ARE_!! Oh my God…Babe, I swear, you have nothing to worry about! We’re getting married, and honestly, the only thing King B.O.B. has on you, is those little rabbit ears and what they do to my clit…but you’re pretty adept with my bullet, so you give me good vibrations too, you, Marky Mark _AND_ the Funky Bunch…” I told him, amused with his apparent rivalry of my vibrator and trying to lighten the mood as I made the joke that stood staring me in the face as I moved my hand to trace the tip of my finger up and over the fly of his jeans as inconspicuously as possible, giving him a subtle caress with the downwards graze as I pulled my hand back.

His eyes rounded as he held me at arm’s length, mouth hanging open; “Did you…did you just call my junk Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch?”

“Maybe.” I snickered, nodding my head up and down.

“How dare you…insulting the hallowed name of Walhberg, here in Boston…” He grinned, realizing I was flirting and feeling playful, his jaw still hanging open as he laughed. “That’s sacrilegious! ”

“It was a compliment! I mean… _COME ON_! I _HAD_ to…I’m in a sex shop, in Boston, standing in front of the vibrators, for cryin’ out loud, a reference to that song _HAD_ to be made!”

“Insulting one of my Boston brothers…that’s practically a criminal offense, babe. I don’t know if I can go on with this…-” Chris said, feigning a deep hurt, a hand letting go of my shoulder to press to his heart; shaking his head, Chris couldn’t hide the smile pulling at the corners of his mouth as he turned his face away, trying to keep a straight face as he told me, “-knowing you don’t like Brady, knowing you _DO_ like Jules, and knowing your disregard for the brothers Wahlberg…”

“ _Ex-cuse me_! _Hold up_!” I exclaimed, getting loud as I raised my left hand, holding my pointer finger up to halt him before going on. “I’ll have you know, Mr. ‘ _I’m jealous of my chick’s vibrator_ ’, I happen to hold Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch in very high regards! I hold him and his band close to my heart thanks to my older cousins when we were younger!-” I told him in mock indignation, complete with swivel neck, hurt and disgusted facial expressions and my finger punctuating my words as it and my closed fist moved through the air next to my head before leaning on one leg, cocking my hip out as I rested my fists on my hips, leveling Chris with a shit eating grin as I added, trying to keep a straight face as he fought laughing, “And need I remind you…we have a Wahlburgers, and I usually end up eating there at least twice a month if I’m playing Tour Guide Barbie on the Strip!”

We stood there, staring each other down in front of realistic looking sex toys, fighting to see who would crack first, laughing at how ridiculous the situation had become, but his snort of contained giggles had his voice cracking as he tried to keep the game going, handing me an easy victory when he laughed mid sentence, telling me, “Well, I’m still offended, and on behalf…on behalf of my Bean Town brothers…I don’t know if I can…”

My face broke out in genuine hilarity, the first full bodied laughing fit over taking me since Atlanta, making me feel like another piece of myself had mended and clicked back into place to make me whole again; it was all Chris, he was the glue that was holding me together as well as helping me heal.

Grabbing his wrist, I pulled him along in my wake, weaving back to the wall of different lubes, oils, lotions, and potions; halting in front of the shelves stacked floor to ceiling with varying colors, consistencies, flavors and scents, I dropped his hand, waving it at the selection in front of us, finally giving in and letting my own giggles chase my telling him, “You ‘don’t know if you can…’ what? You were going to say you don’t know if you can, in all good consciousness, fuck me for the sake of your ‘Boston Brothers’, well, here you go. Knock yourself out, baby…”

He stepped close, crowding into my body; his face broke into a huge, ecstatic grin reaching his eyes as he wrapped one arm around my waist, the other lifting to caress his thumb over my cheek.

“Gaahd, I missed that sound…I was worried I wouldn’t hear it ever again.” Chris whispered.

“You seem to have this ability to make me belly laugh when I don’t even want to smile…I promise, you don’t ever have to worry about that, life with you is proving to be pretty fucking hilarious, Chris. Here-” I told him, blindly reaching to snag a bottle off the shelf next to me, shoving it at his chest without looking, telling him, “-I’m sure you can come up with something creative for this…”

He broke the gaze between us, glancing down to the bottle I held to his pecs, taking it from my fingers to hold up for both of us to see the label. ‘Boink ‘N’ Oink Bacon Flavored Lube’ complete with a wide eyed, surprised pig on a fence had us both erupting into a fit of laughter.

Chris’ head tipped back as he let a loud belly laugh out, the bottle held tight in his hand as it pressed to his chest how he usually did when finding something particularly funny.

“Bacon flavored lube between your buns…I’m pretty sure _THAT’S_ not on the menu at Wahlburgers…” I pointed out from behind my hand as I joined him in cracking up.

“OhmyGaahd!” Chris wheezed, wiping a finger under his eyes to collect the tears his laughing had caused. Whining a high pitched sound out of his throat, he got himself back under control, beaming at me while he stated, “Faahk I love you…is that our new code?”

Swaying forward, it was my turn to fall into hysterics, laughing my ass off when he went on, saying, “‘Baby, I’m hungry for Wahlburgers tonight!’”

“No!! Oh my God, that’s _TERRIBLE_!” I howled, my head resting on his shoulder as I collapsed into a fit of giggles. It look a minute, but when I finally lifted away, I couldn’t help but add in a whisper, “Maybe _that’ll_ be the ‘Evans Eat Out’ special?”

“Shhh!” He giggled, shushing me behind his pointer finger, touching his fingertip to the underside of the bill of his ball cap to push it high so he could touch his forehead to mine, softly telling me, “Naughty, naughty girl…only if you want it to be, Babe.”

“And you love it.” I grinned, bumping my nose to his, and pecking his lips quickly once I was sure Chad wasn’t watching us from the register on the other side of the room. Stepping back, I gave his forearm a squeeze before breaking the connection, turning away and taking a few steps before shooting him a look over my shoulder with a flirty smile and wink, beckoning him to follow me.

“Yes I do…and you’re enjoying this aren’t you?” He asked, pushing off to walk behind me, closing the distance in two strides to wrap his arms around my waist, but I caught him moving in and lunged forward, keeping the flirting going with the teasing game of ‘cat and mouse’.

“This?” I asked mischievously, wagging my brows at him, walking backwards down the aisle before stopping at the end to wait for him to catch up.

“Getting me all worked up in public…flirting with me, teasing me…if I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re turning yourself on with it too, so I’m gonna ask once, and only once…is there a chance we’re having sex later tonight? Because, you’re sending me some majorly mixed signals right now and I really want to be balls deep in you again, Babe…-” Chris asked, standing practically on top of me, eyes moving over my face for a hint while his brows furrowed, concentrating on me, confessing quietly, “-I’m wicked confused right now, and don’t want to fahk up…you gotta give me some kind of direction here, Kay…”

“I don’t know…” I told him honestly, interrupting his train of thought, tipping my face back to let him see I was just as confused as him with the warring needs inside me, one wanting to continue living in the cold grey of grief and mourning while the other pulled me towards the warmth of moving on with Chris, both sides using my fragile psyche as a tug o’ war rope. “Maybe? I mean…my doctor told me roughly two weeks, but…-” I added, feeling like I needed to explain when I saw Chris’ eyes flick away from my face briefly, no doubt to see if Chad was otherwise occupied still; the feeling of his right hand closing ever so gently around my left wrist, directing my hand to slip between our bodies, where he pressed himself into my hand, semi hard and growing; letting go of my wrist, he brought both hands up, framing my face where he seemed to stare through me straight into my soul, making the cold darkness stalking my mind and heart with the worry and guilt of not focusing everything I had on what I had lost freeze, recoiling and shrinking away from the brightness and thawing it’s hold on the steps forward I had been making, the image of Chernabog, the titanic demon on Bald Mountain in Fantasia as his night of evil debauchery was cut short with the oncoming dawn lighting the sky flashed in my mind.

“I’ll never know the depths of the pain and despair you’ve been through with this, because they are yours alone…and it kills me that I can’t take _ALL_ of it away, to make it all better…and I know you feel things about yourself…guilt, anxiety and worries about me not wanting you anymore because of this…here’s your evidence, Kay-” Chris breathed, leaning his face down, stopping a hairsbreadth short of kissing me to add, “-This is the third boner you’ve given me in the last five hours alone. I told you last night, I’ll be patient if you need more time, but I want you to know…I’m looking forward to making love to you again.-” Licking the tip of his tongue along the seam of my mouth, I opened without hesitation, welcoming him as he sought out my tongue to tangle with, aggressive at first then slowing to make sure I caught every nuance of his ministrations, ensuring I felt the love and passion in his sensual and erotic kisses. The seal of our lips broke, letting the breathy sigh we both seemed to mutually create from the depths of back of our throats escape into the air around us, Chris still holding my face tenderly as he hummed low, his lips catching my bottom one to suck on gently before growling softly around me, “-I may not be able to take _ALL_ of it away, at least not right now, but if you’re ready…let me love you, please?-” His teeth closed on the flesh of my lip in a tiny bite before he licked a slow pass to sooth the minor sting. “-You don’t have to give me an answer right now, just think about it, okay?”

I stood there, in his hold with my eyes closed, panting as I tried to catch my breath; the electricity that always seemed to surge between us when we got intimate had my skin tingling, and he was right, I was turning myself on teasing and flirting with him in this environment, the evidence pooling between my thighs and my nipples hard, straining in the cups of my bra, aching and advertising my body’s eagerness against the soft cotton of the Henley I wore under the wrap sweater. Searching my mind as well as my heart, I asked myself if I was ready to take the next step, finding the only block to be my own guilt at _NOT_ feeling guilty for beginning to move on.

The feeling of one of his hands leaving the side of my face to ghost down my neck to my chest, his hand pausing for the briefest second to palm the weight of my breast, his thumb softly caressing over my pebbled flesh before moving to my waist, down over my hip and slipping inwards to skate his fingers along the seam of my jeans, all the while continuing to kiss me, growling against my lips, “I can hear that poor hamster working overtime in there, Babe…you gonna let me in and tell me what your thinking?”

Fluttering my eyes open, I let a shaky breath out, snaking my arms up the front of him to wrap around his neck, pulling him close.

“You should get condoms…we’re gonna need ‘em, if we…when we…I won’t be on the pill again until after my next cycle…” I sighed in between kisses.

“I’ll grab a box…but if you decide to change your mind tonight…I’ll understand…”

“Shut up and go grab the rubbers, Evans.” I told him, grinning mid kiss. “We’ll go slow, and if it’s too much, I’ll tell you, I promise…but you said it earlier, I miss _you_.”

“You know you don’t have to keep up the Xena facade for me, right?” Chris smiled back at me. “We’re a team, and that means if you need to lighten your load, I pick up the slack…you have my back, I have yours…-” Chris reluctantly broke the embrace, stepping back and looking at his watch, cursing softly, “-Shit…okay, let me go grab a box of condoms, I’ll meet you up at the register to pay for our shit, and then we gotta get going. Scott’s flight lands in half an hour, and if we’re lucky, we just might beat him to the pickup curb.”

I met him up at the counter a moment later; setting a box of his preferred brand on the counter with a bottle of lube and another bottle I couldn’t quite make out the label on, Chris shifted his body, angling towards me as he reached for his wallet with his right hand, his left reaching for the edge of my wrap to pull back to allow his to rest his hand on the small of my back, tracing soft circles over my spine before burying it in my back pocket as Chad pulled the basket of stuff we’d accumulated from behind the counter to begin ringing up.

We watched silently for the most part as he pulled the various items to scan and bag; Chris hadn’t seen the surprises I had picked out for him while he sat out in the car, so his eyebrow lifted his cap high as he saw the items now.

Tightening his arm, he pulled me by my ass to him, pressing his mouth against my ear to growl a whispered, “I’m not letting you go toy shopping unsupervised anymore…you buy a new vibe every time…”

Stifling a giggle, I turned to smile at him.

“That one’s not for me…it’s a prostate massager.” I whispered right back, before pointing at the clam shell Chad held in his hand, typing in the SKU for the cock ring, adding, “And that’s got vibes for me _AND_ you…”

His groan mixed with a laugh deep in his chest as I felt his lips press to my cheek, his hand squeezing my ass possessively.

“I told you in Atlanta-” I whispered turning into his body, wrapping my arms around his waist, “-’you play with mine, I play with yours…’”

“No…” Chris said against my temple, the smile apparent in his voice as he explained, “I told _YOU_ , I’m going to love you…let me focus on you. You can have your turn once we’re…what the fahk are those?”

I glanced over at Chad, ringing up the box containing the thigh restraints.

“Thigh restraints. To keep my hands immobilized…better than the tangle of ties in the closet after our last trip.” I said. “Plus, those will fit in my suitcase a helluva lot easier than some of the other set ups I was looking at.-” Remembering my question I forgot to ask earlier, I turned to Chad, asking, “-That swing, the one I was looking at earlier…what kind of hardware and support would you recommend for ceiling mounting? Or would it be best to just invest in the steel stand?”

“Look at you…are you sure you don’t have a dungeon you haven’t told me about, Babe?” Chris asked on a chuckle. Turning back to him, stuck my tongue out as Chad answered, explaining the pros and cons of both options.

Chris’ hand pulling from my back pocket to mold to the curve of my ass, teasing me with his fingers tracing the back seam down to my crotch from behind and his growled words in my ear, I missed the information Chad spouted off as he fanned the flame of desire, telling me, “Have I told you how much I love you and your kinky, freaky side? ‘Cause I really do…”

“I’m not _THAT_ kinky…” I snickered, turning my face just enough to glance up at him with a hint of mischievousness in my eyes and a bump from my shoulder, adding, “There’s just enough freak in my kink to keep things interesting…not scare you off.”

“Oh…I’m sure we’ll have plenty of ‘interesting’ and fond memories of how we conceived our kids, Babe…remember, you aren’t the only one with a taste for kinky shit in this relationship.” Chris chortled in my ear. Humming, he nuzzled his nose against the side of my face before whispering, “The mother of my children is a naughty, dirty, kinky girl that can bring me to my knees with a glance of her gorgeous green eyes…and I love her more than anybody else on the planet…”

“Ohh, great choice, man! My girl loves this stuff!” Chad said, breaking us from our spell; breaking apart from our uncharacteristic show of affection in public, both Chris and I cleared our throats as we turned to see the second bottle he had walked up with held aloft as Chad offered tips on using the massage oil to it’s best potential. “…we found out the hard way, so as long as it’s not the cinnamon one…oh good! Ohh! This one tastes like the white chocolate raspberry cheesecake at Cheesecake Factory. It’s the best in the lineup, great choice.”

“We’ll take your word on that Chad…” Chris smiled before directing his knowing smirk at me, his right hand lifting from the counter and his wallet to turn my face to his for quick peck, telling me, “I figure I’ll give you a massage and see where it goes…tonight’s about you…not me.”

Shaking my head, I just smiled.

“‘No good deed goes unnoticed’…-” I told him, “-you’ll be handsomely rewarded, you know that, right?”

Nodding his head gently, Chris breathed against my lips as he leaned in once more for a kiss, “Yeah, when you tell me you’re pregnant again…”

It was the first time I heard the words ‘pregnant again’ and didn’t feel my heart crack and shatter into millions of pieces, instead my initial response was a warmth enveloping me at his hope and faith he’d be hearing those words in the foreseeable future. My face broke out into a wide grin of its own accord as I opened my mouth, letting him in when his tongue sought permission for a quick pass before pulling back.

“Deal. I love you.” I whispered.

Chad cleared his throat, getting our attention once more.

“That’ll be $297.78…cash or credit?”

“Fahk, you’re hobbies are expensive…” Chris joked, breaking his hold on me, to turn back to Chad.

I reached into my purse, digging for my wallet to throw in my portion of the bill, but Chris called over to me.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“Getting my debit card to pay half?” I said, my eyes round and my brows pushing my forehead high; he extended his arm, knocking my wallet out of my grasp and back into my purse.

“No you’re not…this is stuff for ‘us’, I’m buying.” He told me as he retrieved the large bills from his wallet he tried to hand over earlier, shoving them into Chad’s hand. Turning to face me as Chad punched in the tender, he grinned while holding out his hand for the receipt and change, telling me, “ _YOU_ can buy dinner.”

Groaning, I let out a chuckle.

“I’m feeding you _AND_ Scotty? That’s it, we’re stopping at McDonalds!”

“But, Baaaaby…I want Wahlburgers…” He pouted, failing to keep a straight face and laughing out loud.

“Oh my God…” I laughed, bending to rest my elbow on the counter to support my face when I collapsed; shoving his arm to push him away, I told him, “Really? You had to go there, didn’t you? I take it back…we’re not having sex tonight…that was too bad!”

* * *

Even with the weather being as bleak and dreary as it was, the roads had been clear, with only ‘light traffic’ on the turnpike, as Chris had observed when we came across a three car pile up on the side of the road and the line of lookie-loos slowing to see what the problem was heading into the tunnel, but the arrivals curb was in sight when Scott’s text came in on Chris’ phone, the Bluetooth chirping the alert through the car’s speakers.

“Can you let him know we’re here?” Chris asked, scanning the people as he crawled forward to the open space in the loading zone. I picked up his phone, punching in the security code to text Scott.

**Black Explorer. Just passing you and pulling up now.**

Setting his iPhone back in the cup holder in the console, I twisted to look out the window, catching Scott as he jogged up as Chris popped the cargo door on the back for his suitcase, followed by the door locks. The warmth of the heater evaporated in an instant when Scott pulled the back door open, grunting as he swung his suitcase up to stow before slamming the hatch closed and moving to jump in the backseat.

“Hey!” Scott breathed, pulling the door shut behind him as he climbed in.

“Hey, how was your flight?” Chris asked as his brother clapped a hand to his shoulder.

“Hey Scotty…” I called back over my shoulder as he scooted into the middle seat, allowing him to lean forward and give me a half hug before he pulling my face further in towards the center of the car to plant a smacking, wet kiss to my cheek.

“Thanks for picking me up you guys! Fahking weather had us bouncing around the entire flight..-” He said before his usually boisterous personality quieted, his hand squeezing my shoulder as he went on, “-Carl texted me, and Ma called and told me…I’m sorry, Katie. I really am…How are you feeling?”

“Thank you…I’m getting there, now that your idiot big brother is with me.-” I told Scott, but wanted Chris to know that he had been right, I had been wrong, and this was me trying to let go of my need to rely solely on myself and show my trust in him as well as our relationship, I added, reaching over to grab his knee, “-He’s been amazing, and I should have sucked it up and told him sooner…last week wouldn’t have been absolute Hell if I had…”

“Don’t say that too loud, you’ll inflate his ego!” Scott joked, rubbing his hand over my shoulder, teasing Chris. “Oh Gaahd! It’s too late, look at that shit eating grin on his face!”

I chuckled, squeezing his knee.

“Shut up, man! My chick just said I was right and she was wrong! Let me enjoy the moment, asshole!” Chris laughed, merging into traffic from the loading zone and accelerating to leave the airport behind. He pulled up to the tunnel entrance a few minutes later, looking to me, he fought the smile trying to spread across his face as he asked, “Okay, Babe…what are you in the mood to eat?”

“You fucking asshole…” I cracked up, blushing and hiding my face in my hand as the dark of the tunnel enveloped us, the artificial light casting an orange glow around us.

“Wait…what did I miss? What’s so funny?” Scott piped up from the backseat, leaning forward.

“Come on, Katie…you know you want some ‘ _bacon between your buns_ ’…I know you want Wahlburgers…” He laughed.

“Noooooooooo…” I groaned, shaking my head in my hands, still shaking with giggles. “I don’t think I’ll _EVER_ be able to look at Wahlburgers the same now!”

“What’s wrong with the Wahl’s burgers?” Scott asked loudly, confusion apparent. His phrasing had Chris and I both erupting in a new wave of laughs.

“ _YOU_?” Chris said,hitting his elbow into my arm on the console before lifting his fist to hook his thumb at his chest, continuing, “ _YOU’R_ E the one that brought it up! I’m never letting you live that one down!”

“ _ **LETTING HER LIVE WHAT DOWN?!?!**_ ”

“We may or may not have been at the adult bookstore before coming to get you…” I confessed, wiping my hands under my eyes to rid the tears that collected from my laughing so hard; my voice higher than usual with the hilarity.

“ _SOMEBODY_ -” Chris said, dramatically turning his face towards me, “-decided to play ‘Let’s see how creative we can get’ by blindly grabbing shit off of shelves and of course, she grabs a bottle of bacon flavored lube…”

“Wait…hold up! If you’re going to tell it, you have to include _ALL_ the pertinents…” I interrupted, halting him with my pointer finger held aloft as I looked over at him behind the wheel, grinning like a fool and loving the sparkle in his blue eyes when he smiled at me.

“ _FIIIIINE_ …-” He sighed, playing up the dramatics with a roll of his eyes, leaning back in his seat, to make it easier for Scott to hear him; I reached to turn down the music when he picked back up, telling his brother, “-We were standing in front of the vibrators, and while discussing…”

“Your brother is jealous of my Battery Operated Boyfriend…”

“What?! I really don’t need to know this!” Scott barked, laughing and shifting forward to hear better as a honk sounded in the tunnel and I reached over to tap the horn to continue the act; Chris looked over at me, eyebrow raised in question as he pressed the pedal to accelerate.

“ _I’M NOT JEALOUS_! And why did you just honk the horn?”

“Yes you are…anyways, I was telling him he didn’t have anything to worry about, that the only thing King  B.O.B. has that he doesn’t is the bullet vibe, but he’s more than adept with one…” I explained, but Chris and Scott both jumped in. Raising my own brow in return, I asked, “What? You guys didn’t do that growing up? Honk the horn in a tunnel or hold your breath? It’s a game in California…if somebody honks in a tunnel, you keep it going by honking back…”

“Oh my Gaahd…I wasn’t expecting to talk about your sex life, guys!” Scott said, cracking up.

“She called my shit ‘Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch’!” Chris shouted, checking over his shoulder to merge from the tunnel back into the flow of traffic on the expressway, heading west.

“ ** _WE WERE IN A PORN SHOP! IN BOSTON! TALKING ABOUT VIBRATORS!!! THE JOKE HAD TO BE MADE!!!_** ” I yelled, hands emphasizing my words.

Scott leaned back against the seat, gasping for air as he lost his shit, trying to sing ‘Good Vibrations’.

“ _SEE?!?! HE_ thinks it’s funny!” I told him, turning in my seat to grin widely as I pointed back at his younger brother. Shaking his head, he checked his blind spots, changing lanes as I twisted further to finish telling Scott, “So…fast forward a couple of minutes, that’s when the bacon lube comes in…”

“And this sick and twisted woman in the seat next to me, says ‘Bacon between your buns…I don’t think _THAT’S_ on the menu at Wahlburgers…maybe they’ll make it the Evans Eat Out Special’…” Chris interjected, weaving in and out of lanes to move inland.

“And _YOUR_ brother-” I said to Scott, trying not to laugh, “-looks at me and says, ‘Can that be code? Like if you tell me, Baby, I want *Wahlburgers* tonight…I’ll know what you’re talking about’…”

“Oh my _GAAAHD_!” Scott bellowed, leaning forward to punch Chris in the shoulder. “Thanks asshole, now I won’t be able to eat there without the two of you sick fahks popping up in my head!”

Chris and I both laughed out loud together; I held my hand up, asking for a high-five which he gladly gave me as he threw on the blinker to exit, pulling off well before he should have to head back to Sudbury.

“If _WE_ have to suffer, so do you, bro!” Chris said, glancing back at Scott in the rear view mirror, chuckling softly.

“Hey…where are we going?” I asked, looking around at the scenery, not knowing where we were among the tall buildings and surface streets Chris navigated.

“Oh my…are you shitting me right now? Are we seriously…?” Scott asked, not able to hide his chagrin in recognizing the surroundings and direction we were headed.

“Yuuuuuuup!” Chris answered in an amused voice, popping the ‘p’ as he pulled into a parking lot. Turning to me once he parked and turned the ignition off, he leaned over, grabbing my chin to pull me over the console for kiss, explaining, “You Californians are weirdos you know that right? That person honking probably had a very good and very expressive reason for honking back in the tunnel…you’ll learn that’s your way of telling the fucking idiots that can’t drive around here to ‘faahk off’. You honking for fun, could have pissed somebody off, which was why I punched it, to get us out of there…if you hear a honk, the person on the other end of it is probably _PISSED_ …-” His pecked my lips, chuckling as he pulled back. “-Now…who wants burgers?”

“You’re sick…” I pointed out, shaking my head as I unbuckled my seat belt and reached for my purse along with the umbrella to shield me from the steady rain coming down in the dark afternoon.

“So are you…it’s one of the reasons I love you.”

Stepping out of the car, I looked back at him, sticking my tongue out while I popped the button on the handle to make the umbrella unfold once I stuck it outside.

“Ohhh…don’t tease me with a good time if you aren’t going to follow through…”

I just laughed as I turned back to the task of getting out of the car, but not before flipping him the bird.

“No, there’ll be some of that later, Baby…” He called to me as he climbed out of the driver’s seat, shutting his door and hitting the fob to lock the car. I pushed my door closed, my hand barely having left the cold, wet metal when Scott’s arms wrapped around me, lifting me off the ground with a yelp of surprise for the patented ‘Evans Bear Hug’ all the kids had learned from Lisa as kids. Chris saw the embrace, calling to us, “Hey! What am I? Chopped liver?”

“You didn’t just go through a traumatic experience, numb nuts…plus I’ve spent thirty three years with you, she’s still got the new girlfriend smell.” Scott shot back without looking at his brother who was rounding the car to come and stand in front of us.

“And that smells like…?”

“Candy, flowers, and the clean, citrusy smell of not putting up with your bullshit!” Scott laughed, one hand disengaging from his hold around my shoulder to reach out, playfully pushing Chris’ chest before returning to give me another tight squeeze, adding for me, “I’m glad you’re healing…and even more glad you’re here for Thanksgiving, Kay. This jackass has been annoying as shit this last week, not getting to talk to you, not knowing the hell was going on…”

“Ohhhhh…-” I sounded, twisting to look at Chris, pointing at Scott as I added, “-he’s tattling on you! He’s the one I have to go to for information, ‘cause he’ll crack like an egg, isn’t he?!” Chris just nodded, confirming my deduction of Scott not being the one to keep secrets safe.

“Pretty much…he won’t be the one in charge of national security anytime soon, that’s for sure…” Chris chuckled, nodding his head towards the building behind the car. “Come on, let’s go get Tasty’s…Bacon burgers, anyone?” he teased with a wink.

* * *

Pulling into the parking lot, I heard Chris and Scott both exhale loudly, a sea of cars and headlights stretching before us, the light of the tall lamp posts reflecting in the rain on the roofs.

“Are you _SURE_ you want to do this?” Chris asked, his eyes flicking over to me questioning my sanity.

“Two nights before Thanksgiving and you think going to Walmart is a great idea? I question your sanity, and I’m judging you, just a smidge, Kay…” Scott said sitting forward to tell me as Chris turned down an aisle to start the search for a parking spot.

“I’d rather go two nights _BEFORE_ , during the chaos of food shopping over Black Friday…” I pointed out, reminding them it could be worse; the shiver that ran up my spin at memories of Black Friday shopping had me trying to shake the trauma off like a wet dog. “I want to help with the cooking, so I figure I can bake up some goodies tomorrow while the kids are still at school, to have for breakfast so Ma doesn’t have to worry about breakfast being made among Dinner.”

It took ten minutes, but Chris finally snagged a spot; parking he looked over at me before glancing to the back seat and back to me.

“Did you bring a jacket? I don’t remember you bringing a jacket…” He asked.

“Because I didn’t. I didn’t think we’d be out as long as were, or that it would get as chilly as it has with the rain and wind factor…”

He shifted, pulling his heavy canvas jacket off, handing it over.

“Put that on, Babe.” He told me, holding it for me to slip my left arm into the sleeve. It was warm, cozy and smelled like him, worn cotton, a hint of Old Spice stick deodorant, laundry soap and the vague whiff of smoke lingering from the cigarette he snuck earlier before leaving to head back home from the restaurant.

“Thank you.” I mouthed as I pulled the other side on, smiling at him in the odd light. “I’m hoping this won’t take long…come on, let’s go get this over with.”

Walking inside, it was organized craziness with as many people milling about with carts, but nowhere near as many as there would be in a couple of nights for the Christmas shopping madness of Black Friday. I snagged a cart, setting my purse in the child sized seat, looking to Chris and Scott.

“Well…I’m assuming baking and food is that way-” I said, pointing down the bank of registers to the right side of the store after looking in both directions and seeing aisle after aisle on my left; both nodded, affirming my powers of deduction silently. “That’s where I’ll be…can you grab me a bottle of lotion if you walk past the aisle?”

“St. Ives, right?” Chris asked, surprising me that he remembered.

“Yeah-” I smiled, nodding. “-Triple moisture. It’s got a picture of oats on the label. Thank you.”

Chris smiled back, watching as Katie pushed her cart off to hunt down what she needed to make the things she planned on to contribute to feeding the family. Scott clapping his shoulder brought him back to the present.

“How you holding up…with what happened?”

Inhaling deeply, Chris smoothed his growing facial hair as he took a second to take stock of what he was feeling-the shock of it was still there, it had dulled slightly with talking to Katie, crying, taking time the night before to acknowledge what had happened, what they lost, and beginning to move forward, together; Katie wasn’t in zombie mode any longer, which he was beyond grateful for and she seemed to be returning to her usual self, the color and life returning to her and even laughing…the heartbreak and grief was still there, waiting for him to let them out of the cage he shoved both in when Katie began imploding in on herself as she told him what happened…he knew he’d eventually have to let go of the tight reign he had on his emotions and allow himself to fully mourn, but not until Katie was well and securely on her way to recovering mentally…but then he had the joy and peace of knowing he was gonna marry her casting a glow over all the ‘bad’, tipping the scale with the happiness he felt in her coming to him and essentially saying, _‘This was a lesson for me in humility and trust, and it’s shown me just how scared I was of taking a leap of faith, and that I’m ready to do it, as long as I have you by my side.’_

“I’m managing.” Chris finally said, casting his eyes over to Scott without turning his face. He reached for another cart, pushing off to head to the left to pick up Katie’s lotion, and the odds and ends he figured he’d pick up since they were there. “I mean…yeah, I’m heartbroken and upset, coming to terms with it, and trying to shift through all the shit in my mind…certain things, it feels like I’m on autopilot but being there for Katie…-” Chris took a deep breath, remembering the dead eyed look she wore as she told him while parked at the gas station Sunday night, a hand pressed to her chest, looking petrified and riddled with anxiety before she finally explained what had her acting like a completely different person, before he saw her strength of her will break and he watched her implode right in front of his eyes. “-Bro, you have no idea how sacred and worried I was, watching her…the shock of hearing her tell me was _nothing_ compared to watching her break down and go into hysterics…I can process and grieve when I know she’s alright, which…she’s getting there.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Scott asked, walking side by side with Chris, his shoulder bumping into his.

“Maybe don’t be such an asshole…” Chris chuckled as they wound around two middle aged woman catching up in the center aisle.

“I am offended…” Scott proclaimed in mock outrage.

“You know what I mean…try not to tease her so much, be nice…she’s still pretty sensitive.” Chris told Scott, turning down the aisle to grab deodorant.

“I’m always nice.” Scott quipped, stopping in front of the cans of body spray to pluck one from the shelf to smell. “Well…usually…with people I care about anyways.”

Chris tilted his head to the right, one brow arched high as he looked at Scott.

“Yes, I care about her! Geez…it must be love, you’re turning into an overprotective, grumpy ol’ asshole, ya know that?! I love her, and I promise, I’ll play nice…I’m not a complete jackass!” Scott exclaimed, shoving the can back onto the shelf and grabbing his own container of stick deodorant when Chris grabbed his and tossed it into the cart. “I mean, come on…give me some credit, man! She just went through losing a pregnancy, even I know to put on the kid gloves and play nicely.”

Scott threw his stick in the cart and Chris began moving, heading to the next aisle to pick up toothpaste. Chris swiped a small bottle of mouth mash off a shelf without stopping as he made his way for the toothpaste and floss.

“I saw you gave her the necklace…” Scott pointed out from the wall of toothbrushes just beyond the front of the cart; he wore a sly smile as he glanced back at Chris.

“I did…last night.”

“I thought you were planning on giving it to her Thursday…”

“I was…but last night turned out to be the right moment.” Chris admitted, smiling at the fact Katie had jumped the gun, bringing up getting married just days before Chris had intended to propose, after Thanksgiving dinner, something Scott had been in on and had helped him plan.

“So…are you…?” His brother asked with a grin, forehead sky high in question of hearing Chris’ answer.

“We are…nobody knows yet. I figure we’ll tell the rest of the family on Thursday, after we eat.” He nodded, confessing quietly; Scott charged around the cart, arms wide to hug his big brother.

“Good…I hate to say it, but at least there’s a silver lining to what happened.” Scott whispered, pounding on Chris back as they embraced. “I’ll have plenty of time to harass her once she becomes my sister-in-law…she’s one of us, and I’m glad you found her, bro.”

They moved on, stopping to get the lotion Katie had wanted , heading back out into the center aisle but not before Scott grabbed the end of the cart, pulling Chris down to the end of an aisle to stop in front of the ‘family planning’ selections.

“Dude…I already got this shit covered…” Chris laughed.

Scott looked at him, face pinched as he blew a raspberry in his direction. Reaching for the black box of Magnums, he snagged them, grinning as he said, “I figured, since you went to the porn shop _BEFORE_ picking me up…but since I’m guessing you two haven’t…I figured I might try and help you out…”

“You’re trying to help me get laid?” Chris asked, finding the situation hilarious as he barked out a laugh. “Isn’t this novelty at it’s best…Bro, when I tell you ‘I got this’, trust me, I got this…”

Scott bent to look at the different lubes, plucking one to hold up to show Chris; the label proclaimed ‘PreSeed Fertility Friendly Personal Lubricant’.

“I’ll buy it for you…call it an engagement present.” Scott beamed, snickering softly.

“You asshole…put that back where you found it! We just lost a pregnancy, it’s gonna be a little while before she’s ready for that!” Chris hissed, snatching the box out of Scott’s hand to shove it back into the allotted chute. He hadn’t been aware of how sensitive _HE_ was to jokes about their unplanned pregnancy until his jokester of a younger brother decided to go there, alluding to getting Katie knocked up again as soon as possible, without any consideration for what the aftermath they were both dealing with now and it struck a nerve, making him angry on her behalf as well pointing a glaring arrow at his own mention of trying again earlier in the porn shop; the majority of his anger was directed at himself and his guilt for going there with Katie in a moment of letting his hunger and lust take over.

“Geez man…I didn’t mean it like that…I just…” Scott started to spout off, but Chris cut him off.

“I don’t care…you didn’t watch her become a shell of herself…you haven’t been trying to keep her from falling back into a consuming depression with the guilt of losing our baby and not being able to do a fahking thing about it! I’ve been playing catch up for the week of Hell she just spent, cold, alone and numb with grief because she was scared shitless of telling me…-” Chris growled, stepping into Scott’s personal space, eyes glowing with his pain as he went on, “-you want to joke and be funny, fine. I’ll gladly welcome it, Scotty…but you don’t joke about _that_. _That’s off limits._ ”

“Okay…I’m sorry, bro…I shouldn’t have…”

“No, you shouldn’t have…” Chris said, pushing the cart forward and walking off, leaving Scott behind so he could get himself calmed down.

He weaved through the obstacles in the aisles, past crafts, office supplies, home essentials and toys to push the cart into the aisle lined with candles, oils, wax melts and diffuser fragrances; the overpowering clash of scents hit him in the face, but he powered on, finding what he wanted. The selection of generic Walmart brand candles wasn’t exactly what he wanted, but they had the two scents he wanted, so he picked out a good variety of sizes and heights of the white and pink candles, filling the back of the cart with a layer before heading back up to the cash registers.

He had been lucky, sneaking into a self checkout lane, paying for the few personal hygiene products and the candles quickly and making a trip out to the car to stash the bags before Katie or Scott saw. Walking back in, Chris scanned the lines, looking for either his fiancee or his brother and not finding them, he moved on to look at the grocery aisles where he found them both walking up the center to pay.

Katie’s cart had a mountain of ingredients-stuff to make loaves of pumpkin bread, lemon poppy seed muffins, and the fixings to make her famous ‘confetti’ cookies, the ones she had brought Pratt the night of the podcast…they were the best, he was looking forward to enjoying them.

Scott on the other hand…he held the box of XL Magnums in one hand, carried a Nerf gun in the other and a large bottle of vegetable oil in his arm along with child sized Captain America and Iron Man masks, and wore a Disney Princess tiara on his head as they walked. Chris could only shake his head upon seeing this.

“You’re sick…” was all he managed to say when they saw him and approached. Katie as well as Scott both began laughing.

* * *

“We’re back!” I called, stepping inside the front door; moving out of the way, I wiped my feet as Scott brought his luggage in. Chris came in next, carrying the bags from Walmart; he had said he’d bring in the bag from the porn shop a little later, once everybody was distracted. I took the grocery bags from him, heading to the kitchen as voices called greetings from all directions, the sound of little feet running to give their uncle hugs and kisses.

I moved out of the way of the stampede, ruffling hair on heads as the kids rushed past, surrounding Scott; walking into the kitchen, I said hello to Lisa and Shanna as they moved about the kitchen, cleaning up after dinner, and putting things away.

“Hey…” I said, setting the bags on the table to shrug out of Chris’ jacket, resting it over the back of the chair; pulling the plastic bags open, I began unloading the contents, organizing the ingredients.

“How was Walmart? A madhouse, I bet…” Lisa asked, drying her hands and hanging the towel up before she came over to see what I had procured.

“It wasn’t _too_ bad, I mean it was busy, but not like it will be Thursday night…”

“Are you sure you don’t want to go Black Friday shopping with us?” Shanna asked, a mischievous smirk on her face. “It’ll be fun…”

Shaking my head, I answered.

“ _Nooooooooo_ …I don’t do Black Friday. Too many years in retail and bad experiences have scarred me for life!! Amazing deals aren’t worth being trampled for, in my opinion…I’ll just stick to Cyber Monday, thanks.” I laughed, shooting Chris’ younger sister a pointed look before gathering up the stuff to start the cookie dough to chill in the fridge overnight, with a batch for the grown ups later once the littles had gone to bed…

Lisa had been curious about these cookies, Chris having ranted and raved about them every chance he got, so she kept me company as I got bowls and the mixer set up, measuring out the the dry ingredients as I told rattled off the amounts of each before joining her and starting the wet mixture.

We mixed three batches, storing the dough in plastic containers once portioning out the dough and making balls for easy baking, with everybody wandering through the kitchen to swipe a finger through the batter at some point. Chris ventured in, Dodger at his side half way through the second batch of cookies after two pans of pumpkin bread made it into the oven, taking a chair at the table to watch his mother and I talk and laugh as we mixed dough while waiting the last few minutes of the hour that some of the first batch had spent resting in the fridge before baking them off.

I glanced back over my shoulder, smiling warmly at him to let him know I knew he and the dog were there; his own look of heartwarming desire met mine as he scratched Dodger’s ears. I had taken the wrap sweater off, and pushed up the sleeves of the Henley I had worn that afternoon, Lisa had told me I had a smear of flour on my cheek from brushing hair out of my face, and the amused smile and snorted chuckle I watched Chris give told me I now had it on my ass as well.

“Well, I think I’m gonna go throw the laundry in the dryer…” Lisa announced, picking up on the unspoken exchange between Chris and I, with our long glances, flirty facial expressions and his heavy sighs.

He stood, walking into the kitchen to stand behind me, his arms wrapping around my waist and cuddling into the side of my face. His crotch pressed into my ass, telling me he was ready to head upstairs whenever I was without saying a word as his mother left us alone for a few minutes.

“This one is almost done, just need to finish mixing in the flour mix and the chocolate chips and sprinkles, then you can either wash the bowls while your mom and I roll out portions or I’ll wash while you help her…we got one more batch to make, then I’m all yours, Mr. Potato Head.” I told him, voice soft as he rubbed his nose along my neck, kissing along my jaw with a quiet hummed growl.

“I need to jump in the shower though…” I told him as he squeezed me tight, nipping the flesh of my neck.

“Why? You’re just going to get dirty again as soon as you get out…I told you, you’re getting a massage…” Chris hummed, teasing me with his kisses, nips and licks to my neck while his hands caressed my slowly through the soft cotton of my shirt.

“I need to shave…that hasn’t exactly been high on my priority list lately.” I confessed as tipped the measuring cup of sprinkles into the mixing bowl, adding the chocolate chips immediately after.

His lips pressed to my skin, opening to allow his tongue a slow pass over me, growling, “Don’t worry about it…”

“I won’t be able to enjoy myself if I have prickly legs, especially if you’re touching them…”

His chuckle vibrated over my skin, his lips closing to suck softly before speaking.

“Babe…at this point, I honestly don’t care if you looked like Chewbacca from the waist down…okay, that’s a lie. I would…but if it’s going to matter that much, go shower.-” Chris told me. “-Ma can put the last batch of dough together, go take a nice long, hot shower, start relaxing so you can just lay back and enjoy when you come to bed. I’ll let her know you went upstairs.”

The way he said it had me exhaling a sigh, it was the same dominant manner of speaking, telling me to go do what he wanted, but this was softer, not as harsh, brimming with the sensitivity he had been affording me since he learned why I had been so cold, so distant and what had happened to cause it. This was another step back towards ‘normalcy’, him being the one in charge when it came to intimacy, his dominance to my submission. It was an order, and a respectful one, for which I was grateful as we started off slow in reconnecting physically.

“Okay.” I acknowledged, turning my face to seek his for a kiss. My hand reached back, holding his head, my fingers burying in his hair as he deepened the kiss; breaking apart, I whispered against his lips, “Anything else?”

“Shave, and then just stand under the hot water. Let the heat and spray relax your muscles…don’t get dressed, just come back to the room in your towel, climb in bed face down and get comfy if I’m not there…understand me?” Chris purred, his lips catching mine for a nibble.

“Mhmm.” I hummed, playing my hand through his hair.

“Alright, off you go…I’ll meet you upstairs in a little bit.” Chris rumbled, stepping back to let me out of his arms but not before patting my ass and arching his brow at me with a smirk.

I did as he said, walking out of the kitchen, taking the stairs quickly to reach the second floor, heading for the bathroom closets to Chris’ old room. I slipped inside, moving to turn the faucet on, to heat the water up while undressing and gathering my toiletries along with a large towel.

Stepping in, the warmth of the shower felt wonderful as it enveloped me; I moved to stand under the spray, groaning in delight as the pressure of the shower head had the water pelting my back and shoulders in a quasi massage after all day out in the cold. I washed my face quickly, then my body before moving on to the task of maintenance. A long, hot shower had been exactly what I needed to warm up, relax and prepare for what was about to happen, Chris knew it and I’d have to find a way to pay him back for his thoughtful forecare…

_‘You are marrying him…YOU ARE MARRYING HIM!’_ I thought dreamily as I stepped out of the shower, reaching for the towel resting on the closed toilet seat lid. _‘Mrs. Chris Evans…he’s the biggest, most adorable dork you’ve ever known, and he’s gonna be yours for the rest of your life!’_

The happy pictures and scenarios of he and I building a family flashed through my mind as I dried off; I stowed away my bathroom stuff before wrapping the towel around my body, opening the door, clicking off the light and walking to the door of our room.

Pushing the door open, I hadn’t been expecting to find what a waited me. At some point since we got back from our outing, he had snuck upstairs to straighten up the room, setting up a plethora of candles on the flat surfaces of his night stand, dressers, and the desk, the bottle of massage oil sitting at the edge of the night stand, a condom torn from the strip and keeping it company while waiting for me.

I couldn’t help but smile at his effort to set the mood, wanting to show me that he wanted to romance me, to reinforce he did love me despite what happened…it was so overwhelming, his simple act of caring and affection, I got choked up, dashing a hand under one eye then the other as I closed the door and crossed the room to the bed, pulling the knot from the towel to lay down as he told me, draping the cotton over my ass as I took breath after deep breath of the vanilla and rose scent the candles gave off, trying to clear my mind and relax like he said when I heard the handle turn, and the door opened.

My eyes were closed, but I would picture Chris crossing the room, his socks muffling his steps on the carpet; I felt my face crack into a tiny smile when I felt his presence looming over me.

“How you feeling?” He asked, voice a low rumble in his chest; turning my face to lay on my left, I peeked up at him, finding him licking his lips as his eyes traveled over my naked back.

“Better…that was just what I needed, Baby…I’m ready whenever you are.” I sighed, stretching my arms from where they supported my head. Chris’ smirk was my reward as he started working off the band of his watch, setting it aside and pulling his shirts from the waistband of his pants, pulling the Henley and tank top off, before unbuckling his belt and working the button and zipper of his jeans to push them off, leaving him in his underwear and socks, until he rested a hand on the mattress to support himself as he worked the material off his feet.

I watched him stand, plugging his phone into charge on the night stand, taking a moment longer than usual before the sounds of classical piano started playing. He grabbed the bottle of oil from the stand, kneeling one leg on the bed to climb up, swinging his other leg over me to sit on my ass. The gentle ‘smack smack smack’ of him hitting the bottle top to his palm to mix up the oil preceded the gentle pop of his opening the lid; a cool sensation of liquid being drizzled over my back had me hissing air through my teeth, the surprise of the cold oil shocking me.

A quiet snick of the cap closing told me he was about to begin; I heard the slick sound of his hands warming more before they spread on my upper back, his long, thick fingers pressing into my flesh as they slid up to grasp my shoulders to start working at the knots there.

I adjusted my head as well as my arms to relax and listen to the romantic classical and instrumental music while Chris went about turning my body into a pile of goo, humming contentedly to let him know I was enjoying every minute of his attention.

* * *

“Baby…baby…you ready to turn over?”

My eyes fluttered open as he whispered in my ear; his hands were slowly tracing designs along my spine. Humming, I stretched, nodding to let him know I heard his question.

“Did you fall asleep?” He asked, the smile could be heard in his voice as he pressed close, kissing my cheek, my eye lid, and finally my lips when I began turning over. Smiling lazily, I whispered my affirmation as I rubbed my eyes. His hand rested on my hip as he asked, “Did I do too good of a job? Do you want me to go on, or do you want to go to bed?”

Looking deep into his eyes, dark in the candle light around the room and full of hungry desire, I blinked slowly, rolling onto my back, shamelessly putting my body on display as my arms extended above my head and my legs fell open; my mouth curled at the corners as I leaned up off the bed, chasing his lips.

“Love me. Please…”

His lips pressed into mine, hungry for the connection; his hesitance at this being too much had him acting more cautious than usual, his tongue asking for admittance with a gentle lick, his soft and slippery hand moving to grip my waist, making hardly any progress towards my breast. Pulling away just the slightest bit, he panted, asking, “Are you sure? I don’t want this to be too much…”

I brought my arms down, grabbing his face and neck to pull him closer as I inched further into the center of the bed.

“Chris…” I whispered, my left hand letting go of his face to trace down his neck, his chest, loving the feel of his chest hair tickling my sensitized skin to rest against his side, directing him to move into a better stance, to give him access as well as let me continue to kiss him. My right hand trailed down his arm, wrapping around his wrist and moving it up to my breast to tell him it was alright. “I’ll tell you if I’m getting overwhelmed. I promise. You tell me that I need to trust you, well, right now, you need to trust me… _please_?”

His large hand opened, palming my breast, plumping and teasing me as he shifted, pressing into my body. My left hand skated down, to grab the impressive flesh of his muscular ass, while my right traveled back up his arm, squeezing his bicep before moving to cradle the back of his head as he picked up where our last kiss had left off.

We stayed locked in our embrace, making out and pouring every ounce of passion into the ways our tongues and mouths mated, hungry, animalistic one minute then soft, gentle and romantic the next for what felt like eternity and yet seconds at the same time, getting lost in one another with one of the activities we both enjoyed most.

The pressure of Chris pressing his chest into mine as he pulled the bottle of oil from where it was pinned between us had his body hair raking over my chest, the abrasive feeling of it on my exposed nipple with every labored breath felt like heaven and I couldn’t help the whimper in the back of my throat when he changed the angle of the kiss and his chest raked over mine at the same time the fingers of his left hand gave my aching bud a pinch before retreating; inhaling deeply, I wrapped my free leg around his hip, inviting him to shift further inwards and rest between my thighs.

I just barely caught the sound of the bottle top clicking open before a fresh stream of liquid poured onto my chest, stomach and down to my crotch in a line before Chris closed the lid once more, tossing the bottle to the corner of the bed; his hand met the oil on my body, spreading it slowly, showing careful attention to massage my breasts, his mouth reluctantly breaking from mine to kiss down my neck, over my chest and eventually catching a hard, aching nipple in his mouth to work as he focused his attention on the other.

Migrating to the other side, Chris’ hand slipped from my breast to start the migration south, rubbing and massaging his way towards my mound; his mouth was still hard at work, switching between nipples when his hand cupped my bare sex; testing my reaction, I rewarded him by opening up to allow his touch, silently telling him I wanted it.

My hands left his hair and body to bury in my own hair; eyes closed, I just focused on the way he made me feel, like I was the most precious and desired thing in his life…and then it hit me, this connection, the love and passion he poured into each and every movement, kiss, lick, and touch…this was him trying to make me understand the depth of his love for me, for us, it was the most unselfish act, a man trying to strengthen the bond with his woman while communicating that all of my guilt concerning something I had absolutely no control over was alright to have but he didn’t blame me, that he forgave me from keeping something so big from him, and most importantly, trying to take away the pain of my own worry and insecurity that he wouldn’t want me after losing the thing he wanted most…this was the truest form of love, seeing somebody whom you love with every fiber of your being feeling so much pain and wanting to take it all away so they wouldn’t hurt any longer…

His fingers slipped down into my folds to rub and tease, delving further to inquire how turned on my body was while spreading the oil he dragged from my stomach to aid the venture; he wasn’t disappointed, growling his approval as his teeth gently closed around a nipple, tugging softly. The leisurely passes from mound to cunt, squeezing, massaging and teasing were interrupted by the occasional middle finger pressing home to aid the slow build up Chris was creating, giving me that taste of ‘more’ he knew I craved but only for that brief second as his kisses began to follow the same path his hand had taken, making their way down my torso where he shifted to settle between my thighs.

“Fuck…” I breathed, panting softly as I looked down my body to lock eyes with the beautiful man that rested there, leaning his face in to lave a small lick to my clit, his eyes dark and soft behind the fire of his hunger; that small contact, after almost a week and a half without, had me yelping as my body bowed.

“You okay, Baby?” Chris asked, his brows furrowed as he lifted his face from me.

“Yeah…it felt good…too good.” I panted, my face lifting on one side in a crooked grin.

“Where are you at…how close?” He asked, licking from cunt to the top of my mound; the feeling of one finger tracing around and teasing the rim of my hungry hole, making thinking difficult to accomplish while he continued to do it and lick, kiss and suck me closer to an orgasm. When I didn’t answer, he slipped into my channel, eliciting a mewl from me as he mimicked the way he knew I liked him to stroke when we fucked, drawing back to add a second finger.

“ _Please…_ ” I gasped, my hips circling of their own accord to get him to hit exactly where I needed to finish.

“Gaahhd you’re so faahking sexy when you beg…” Chris commented around my clit, his fingers beginning to move inside me; biting my lip, I closed my eyes as I tried to push everything but the feelings Chris was getting me to feel from my mind, working for breath as he built up a pace, scissoring his fingers deep to ensure I felt him throughout my channel while he prepped me for more. “So tight…relax…”

“I am…” I moaned. “That’s the product of not having your cock or King B.O.B. for a week and a half…please. Almost…”

His lips closed around me, drawing hard on my sensitive nub as he curled his fingers, digging the tip of his middle finger into the spongy tissue of my g-spot to massage it, setting me off cumming for him. His skilled demonstrations of knowing just how to get my body to do what he wanted allowed him to drag out the waves of pleasure for as long as possible, letting me ride them out as I came down to his tender affections ghosting across my skin, still live with hypersensitivity.

Reaching down, I carded my fingers through Chris’ hair; he looked up from where he rested his forehead on my pubic bone, he looked lost in his mind, his brows pinched ever so slightly in the middle of his forehead, his chest working for air through his open lips, and his eyes searching mine.

* * *

Swallowing, Katie gave his hair a gentle tug, telling him without words to come up…that she was ready for more. He pushed up from the mattress, nodding his head the tiniest amount as he shoved his Calvins off, kicking them over the side of the bed a second before crawling up her body. Her arms lifted to welcome him, wrapping around his neck as he settled, resting some of his weight on her as he reached for the condom on the night stand. Rolling off to the side, he tore the foil with his teeth, pulling the rubber from the pack to roll on; adjusting back over Katie, he paused a moment, staring down at the woman in his arms.

Everything about her in that moment advertised she was on the mend, the shadow of guilt and worry no longer clouded her face or eyes, now it was replaced with eager anticipation and warmth…her body language was open, she hadn’t been drawing in on herself like before, hell she had been wanton with the shameless way she put body on display upon turning over…

Seeing his iron forged warrior princess on the way to being herself again, Chris felt his forehead pinch as the realization had hit he could allow his emotions out of that cage and begin coping and processing now that Katie was recovering and the sudden wave of dawning comprehension washed over him.

“Chris…what’s the matter?” Katie asked, one hand pulling back from clutching his shoulder to caress her thumb over his cheek. “You look like you’re about to burst into tears, Baby…”

Taking a deep breath, he swallowed.

“It just hit me…” He choked out on a whisper, sighing, “We were going to have a baby…we’re supposed to be together, because we created a life after only knowing each other a matter of hours…you were pregnant, and we were going to have a baby…”

Wiping her thumb under his eye, Katie smiled sadly up at him.

“I’m glad you’re starting to grieve…I know you said this was about me, tonight…but no, it’s not-” She whispered, pulling his face to hers for a tender kiss as she wrapped her legs around his hips, “-you need this as much as I do.”

Sniffing, Chris turned his face away, guilt washing over him at making the moment he kept proclaiming was all about her into one about him, about the unbearable pain he felt for their loss, his immense guilt at not even suspecting Katie had been pregnant…but her hand turned him back to face her.

“Baby…” She breathed, calling to him from the other side of the abyss he stared into, finding the merest sliver of a walk bridging the gap, offering him a path back to her and world beyond. “It hurts right now…but I promise, it’ll be okay. Believe me. I’m gonna lay it out here, you’ve been my rock, the only thing allowing me to move on, to start being me again…we’re a team, ’you need to lighten your load, I pick up the slack’, remember? We’ll work through this together, alright? So you love me, and I’ll love you, and we’ll meet in the middle…”

The heavy, numb feeling of loss crept over him, wrapping around him like a blanket, making everything dull to shades of cold black, white and grey…except the places Katie touched him, those were radiantly warm and full of color.

Her hand and arm drew him down to rest closer, her legs adjusting to anchor him to her; lifting her head to meet him, she kissed him passionately, opening to take what she wanted while her other hand clutched at his back.

Chris closed his eyes, holding tight to the tiny flicker of hope Katie’s words gave him, he focused on the good and working towards that first tentative step to cross the void.

Pouring everything into his kiss, Chris reached down, notching himself home against her body; the small gasp Katie gave at his initial breach of her body had him pausing for a brief moment, with only their mouths moving until she cooed around his tongue.

“God, you feel good…more. Please.”

Pressing his hips forward, he sunk further into her, moaning at the snug fit through the thin rubber until he was fully seated.

“Chris…” Katie breathed, pulling her mouth just far enough away to break the kiss; they both panted for air, breaths mingling as she ever so gently caressed his cheekbones, tracing the fan of his eye lashes on the top of his cheek. He was still locked in his mind, standing at the end of that narrow span, trying to shake off the heavy weight that threatened to keep him there in the darkness, Katie’s whisper was the light that scatters creatures of the dark into hiding…it was the courage to take that first tiny step of faith. “Love me…it’ll help with the pain.”

Touching his forehead to hers, he swallowed, withdrawing only to strokeback  home slowly; needing the grounding touch of her lips, he leaned in capturing her mouth to echo the slow, sensual strokes of his body beginning to make love to her with his kisses. Her hands buried in his hair or cradled and caressed his face and neck as his body continued the gentle in and out of his strokes; her legs shifting higher around his waist, he felt her ankles lock against his ass, telling him to keep going.

“Baby…give me all the hurt, all the pain.”

Pressing his face to hers, he shifted, bringing his arm up to hold her close, his fingers burrowing in her hair to anchor himself to her before the need to consume her took over, taking her mouth in a searing kiss.

_‘How are you real?’_ He thought. _‘How do I deserve you?’_

Swallowing, he took a deep breath, opening his eyes to stare deep into hers in the low light of the candles around them.

“You look lost.” Katie said, her fingers brushing lightly over his furrowed brows; her parted lips pursed in pleasure as he sank home faster than the pace he had been keeping.

“I am…” He panted, massaging the back of her skull in his hand. “The shock wore off…and now…you were pregnant-” He said, sniffing; laying his forehead to hers, he slowed his pace, “-you were pregnant…we were going to have a baby and now we’re not, at least not right now…”

He could feel one of her hands leave his face to wrap around him, holding him as close as possible in her tight embrace.

“Is that what’s making you upset? That we’re not having a baby?” She asked, moving her face to plant kisses all over his.

“I’m not upset about it…heartbroken, yes. But not upset…”

“Then what is it?” She whispered, touching her lips to his softly.

“Guilt…guilt at not suspecting, not paying attention…for Sunday, for feeling like I pushed you into sex…but mostly guilt at wanting to try again, willingly and as soon as possible…” He confessed, having stilled his movements so he just remained above Katie, fighting emotions as he looked deep in her eyes. “I yelled at Scott earlier…because he made a joke about getting you pregnant again. I got angry because of my guilt at thinking exactly what he was saying…”

“Chris…Baby, I’m _going_ to get pregnant again. I don’t know _when_ , but it will happen…so, please, don’t feel guilty…” She told him, but he interrupted.

“I know that…it’s just…-” He butted in, voice cracking as continued, “-I want this, so fahking much…with you! You need time to heal, and I want…”

He felt tears fall and her arms held him tight.

“I know, Baby…I know you do. I want them too…it happens when it happens, okay? We’re getting married, if you want to start trying…-” Katie consoled him, wiping his tears away, kissing him before adding, “-we can talk about me not going back on birth control in the morning. You told me you didn’t blame me for what happened…well, I don’t hold _this_ against you.”

Hearing her tell him that, was the push he needed to take that first step, trusting the gloried tightrope before him to lead him back to the other side, back to her. With her quiet admission, Chris touched his lips to hers once more before kissing a path over her jaw, down to her neck as he began moving inside her again.

“I love you…so much, Babe…” He whispered, latching onto the skin on her neck, working on leaving marks; her hand tangled in his hair, pulling softly as he picked up speed little by little, gasping at the way the his strokes were catching her g-spot just right as Chris put aside everything else at war in his head to get back to making love to his future bride.

“I love you too, Chris…right there…fahhh…” She breathed right back in between the tiny sounds of her building to an orgasm before she cursed on a squeak and he was rewarded with the sucking pulsation of her body around his cock, setting off his own release into the latex.

Bracing himself on his forearms, Chris shifted his weight off of her, but looked down at her, laboring to catch his breath; Katie’s eyes were warm and soft, full of love, staring back up at him for a moment before she pulled him back on top of her, touching the tip of her nose to his tenderly.

Chris rolled to his side, dragging Katie with him to get comfortable as he pulled out, took the full condom off to knot and drop into the wastebasket next to the bed; cuddling close, he pressed as close as possible, slowly beginning to make out while his hands rubbed up and down along her spine before pulling back to rest on her hip.

“Thank you.” She said softly, her hand playing in his chest hair. Chris ran his hand down her hip, along her thigh to grab her behind the knee, pulling her leg over his hip.

“For?”

“Romancing me…I wasn’t exactly feeling very desirous…”

“You’re beautiful no matter what…” He answered, connecting his lips to hers quickly before retreating. “I’m gonna blow out the candles so we can go to bed. Can we sleep naked tonight? I need to feel your skin on mine…”

“I wasn’t planning on putting on clothes…maybe tear off another couple of condoms and put them on the stand…just in case…”

Chris’ mouth lifted on one side, a soft chortle escaping him as he moved about extinguishing the flames around the room; he pulled the box of condoms from the black bag next to the dresser, pulling two foils from the string before moving the two steps back to the bed, setting them on the table top before turning off the light as well as his phone and climbing back into bed. Katie had crawled under the sheets, and waited for him to join her. He laid back, relaxing as she fitted herself into his side, snuggling in tight; the sounds of their breathing as well as smell of vanilla, rose and white chocolate raspberry cheesecake soothing them both to sleep in the cocoon of each other and the warm blankets around them.





End file.
